US Supports Blasphemy

[^_^ 5,021]

As I said, "In some countries, the laws are rarely enforced; in others, they are frequently enforced."

Of course there are debates underway in many countries that still have these laws. But there are certainly cases that are still being prosecuted (often under laws prohibiting "religious insult" or "vilification of religion.") For instance, during the 2000-2012 period, cases were prosecuted in Canada, Finland, Malta, Spain, as well as some other non-Muslim countries - and some of these cases resulted in jail sentences; others resulted in fines or community service (as in the example you noted from Germany, which occurred just 6 years ago.)

Just because these cases don't stir up as much attention as stories about "those Muslims at it again," the idea that it's an offense to offend religious sensibilities is not quite as obsolete in all Western countries as one might think.

The Muslim world takes it to a whole new level.

They want their prejudices enshrined into international law! The Aussies or the Maltese never did that.

They send out death squads all over the planet to kill blasphemers. That they're not very good at it (Rushdie is still alive, perhaps much to your chagrin?) is another matter The Aussies and Maltese don't do that either.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

The Muslim world takes it to a whole new level.

They want their prejudices enshrined into international law! The Aussies or the Maltese never did that.

They send out death squads all over the planet to kill blasphemers. That they're not very good at it (Rushdie is still alive, perhaps much to your chagrin?) is another matter The Aussies and Maltese don't do that either.

Of course - The Muslims constitute an international monolithic conspiracy of 2 billion+ homicidal maniacs bent on subjugating the world through terror and intimidation, complete with "death squads all over the planet." Save yourself ! But maybe first you should write a pamphlet and call it The Protocols of Islam, to help persuade those of the correct ideology/ethnicity to wipe out this Oriental menace.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The US Embassy in the Philippines was brutally protested for almost 20 minutes by around 300 Muslims holding signs. A passing police officer actually had to roll down the window on his patrol car, risking heat exhaustion from the intense 78F heat outside, to ask them to disperse.

Edited September 26, 2012 by The Patriot

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

The US Embassy is the Philippines was brutally protested for almost 20 minutes by around 300 Muslims holding signs. A passing police officer actually had to roll down the window on his patrol car, risking heat exhaustion from the intense 78F heat outside, to ask them to disperse.

Those cunning bastards ! They get sneakier and sneakier all the time...

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

As I said, "In some countries, the laws are rarely enforced; in others, they are frequently enforced."

Of course there are debates underway in many countries that still have these laws. But there are certainly cases that are still being prosecuted (often under laws prohibiting "religious insult" or "vilification of religion.") For instance, during the 2000-2012 period, cases were prosecuted in Canada, Finland, Malta, Spain, as well as some other non-Muslim countries - and some of these cases resulted in jail sentences; others resulted in fines or community service (as in the example you noted from Germany, which occurred just 6 years ago.)

Just because these cases don't stir up as much attention as stories about "those Muslims at it again," the idea that it's an offense to offend religious sensibilities is not quite as obsolete in all Western countries as one might think.

They are frequently enforced in western countries? Where?

I'd go out on a limb here and speculate that one of the reasons why the few and far between prosecutions of blasphemy in the western world don't get a lot of attention is that the prosecuted and the convicted continue to breathe when it's all said and done. Pure speculation on my part, of course.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

They are frequently enforced in western countries? Where?

You can look up country by country if you like, but here are a few examples to get you started:

Greece

Blasphemy cases are reportedly rather common in Greece, with most stemming from quotidian verbal insults against “the divinity” and related figures.[24] These have been described as “petty” cases, involving sensitive individuals who take offense at allegedly blasphemous expression, and they are often dismissed in the first instance due to a lack of malicious intent. However, Greece’s blasphemy and religious insult laws have also been applied in several well-publicized cases involving artists using an array of media. The defendants have been criminally sanctioned for their “offensive” works, or the works themselves have been subjected to interim restrictions by civil courts in the interests of preserving social and religious peace.

http://expression.freedomhouse.org/reports/blasphemy_report/greece

Malta

Criminal procedures were initiated against 162 people for blaspheming in public in the first three months of this year, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici said.

Replying to a parliamentary question by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo the minister said that similar proceedings were taken against 621 people last year.

(2009 article)

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20091014/local/cigarette-butts.277384

I'd go out on a limb here and speculate that one of the reasons why the few and far between prosecutions of blasphemy in the western world don't get a lot of attention is that the prosecuted and the convicted continue to breathe when it's all said and done. Pure speculation on my part, of course.

First of all, there has to be a complaint made. And then it often depends on how loud the complaints are. Some groups of complainers are more organized than others, and have more means for legal representation. And some countries are very sensitive to religious incitement against particular groups, due to what has happened in their history - thus the laws in Germany and France that outlaw Holocaust denial on the grounds that it is an expression of "anti-Semitism."

The U.S. is very liberal on "hate speech" - much more permissive than many other Western countries.

I think some governments keep these laws on the books because they realize that hate speech against religious groups can serve as incitement to violence against those groups. Most governments don't want mob violence, and so they want the means to prosecute individuals for being the "sparks" that light the fires.

As for the convicted "continuing to breathe" - despite what may be popular belief, very few people have actually been executed by the governments of Muslim countries, at least according to credible sources - I can find reports of 2 for Saudi Arabia, and none for Pakistan. Far more accused blasphemers have been murdered extra-judiciously by violent mobs. There's that incitement thing again - and it is certainly at least one of the reasons that some of these governments continue to prohibit blasphemy - they are well aware of what might ensue.

Edited September 26, 2012 by wife_of_mahmoud

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

The KKK marched within the last two weeks in D.C. - They required more Police than they had marchers but they were allowed to march. No violence occurred.

In my hometown on October 6th a neo-nazi group is putting on a music festival "Hammerfest" to recruit new members.. The police say they are allowed as long as they do not commit or advocate violence..

... of course some don't understand the boundaries or the laws where they live...

Recently a parade for muslims advocating tolerance was attended by state senators in New York, there were numerous speeches.. One speaker, an imam in NY, talked negativity about free speech and called on the U.N. to enact international laws for outlawing blasphemy. A following speaker was a woman that said her womb was going to bring forth the next generation of Martyrs that will deliver bombs to America and the "zionist nazis".. A state senator was the parade Marshall and had marched with them in the parade and was supposed to also give a speech and was up on the stage with her.. He walked out in the middle.. video (The guy giving commentary is a jerk I know).

They all speak their mind, why should we feel any different about the third group than we do for the first two?

Edited September 26, 2012 by OnMyWayID

[sandinista! 1,816]

In the last 30 hours, since she spray painted on one of those Geller posters in a subway station and got arrested, Mona el Tahawy reports she's received a ####### ton of death threats, threats of violence, and people telling her they hope she dies, or she should off herself. Over a poster.

So yeah, sh1tty people are sh1tty. And they can be found all over.

What is curious though is how a fashion ad was banned by a French court because it was supposedly a mockery or

blasphemy of da Vinci's Last Supper. But they screech

about French free speech re. cartoons. They created a precedent with the ruling on the fashion ad, it's no wonder then that some people would call out France on that. Either they overturn their ruling on the ad, or they're hypocrites. There are examples that exist in other countries as well, they don't all put their money where their mouth is. The US is far more consistent with this than many other places.

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

*** One TOS violating post removed. Keep it civil, and watch you language please. ****

[justashooter 430]

kudos to the state senator.

the imam has forgotten where he now lives. the woman speaker is treading on thin ice. neither appreciates the liberty they decry.

[mawilson 2,133]

*** One TOS violating post removed. Keep it civil, and watch you language please. ****

Did you just enforce a blasphemy law?